Michigan

Red Wings notes: Helm has been impressive

AP PhotoDarren Helm, shown throwing a check into the Penguin's Sergei Gonchar during Game 1, has made the most of limited ice time for Detroit.

PITTSBURGH -- A 21-year-old kid with seven games of NHL experience before the playoffs is not supposed to be playing with this much poise in the most pressure-packed games of the season.

But Detroit Red Wings forward Darren Helm continues to improve with each game in the Stanley Cup finals. He enabled Jiri Hudler to score the winning goal in Game 4 by taking Pittsburgh defenseman Brooks Orpik out of the play. In Game 5 Monday, Helm logged less ice time (13:08) than any other Red Wings player but was one of their most dangerous players. He scored Detroit's first goal and generated a few more chances for himself and his linemates, Hudler and Kirk Maltby.

He is making Kris Draper proud.With his speed, grit and forechecking ability, Helm has been compared to Draper ever since Detroit selected him in the fifth round of the 2005 entry draft.

"He's playing great hockey,'' Draper said. "He's a great kid. He's taking this all in. He's playing a huge role for our team. And he's going to continue to get better. His work ethic is very good. And the Detroit Red Wings are going to see a lot of Darren Helm over the years here with the way he can skate and the calmness that he has with the puck.''

Helm was credited with a game-high six hits. But one area in which he can learn from Draper is in the faceoff circle. Helm lost 7-of-8 draws on Monday and is 38-for-51 (42.7 percent) in the playoffs.

"He's been good, but if you look at the role players for them and the role players for us, they don't play as much,'' Red Wings coach Mike Babcock said. "They have more energy. They're not under the same scrutiny as a guy like Pavel (Datsyuk) or (Sidney) Crosby. There's more room for them. Looks to me like he's got good hockey sense and has a chance to develop into a real good player.''

Sykora calls his shot

During the second overtime, Petr Sykora told NBC analyst Pierre McGuire, who was stationed between the benches, that he was going to score. Sykora, who hadn't registered a point in the previous six playoff games, scored at 9:57 of the third OT.

"Usually you don't have people tell you they're going to score in overtime, they just go out and do it,'' McGuire said. "Petr Sykora just tapped the glass, pointed to his chest and said, 'I'm going to score.' "

McGuire made a big deal about it, but Sykora brushed it aside as a joke.

"I didn't feel I was going to score, but just to get a little looser out there and make a comment like that, get the guys a little laugh in the locker room,'' Sykora said. "I'm not complaining that it worked.''

Evgeni Malkin also registered his first point of the series by assisting on the goal.

"I was confident before, just nothing really was coming to me,'' Sykora said. "And I felt that Geno (Malkin) had a strong game, too. And for us to be successful as a team, me and Geno, we have to come up with some offense again.''

Said Penguins coach Michel Therrien: "It's huge. We need those players to be able to perform both sides of the ice.''

Gonchar, Malone should play

Therrien said defenseman Sergei Gonchar (back spasms) is expected to play tonight in Game 6. Gonchar was injured when he crashed into the boards late in the second period. After that, he was used mostly on the power play, as Therrien didn't want him involved in battles in his own zone. Gonchar assisted on Sykora's goal.

"He's such an important part of that power play,'' Therrien said. "He's the one carrying the puck. He's the one making the right play.''

Therrien said Ryan Malone, who's on the second line with Malkin and Sykora, should also play, despite having his nose broken when he was hit by a shot in front of the net shortly after Gonchar went done. Malone returned to finish the game.

"He's going to have some tests this afternoon. We're not quite sure,'' Therrien said. "But I spoke to him after the game, and I'll put it this way: I'll be really surprised if he's not playing.''

Odds & ends

-- Penguins goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury tried to squirt water at Joe Louis Arena Zamboni driver Al Sobotka as he was doing his customary pregame octopus twirl. "It was an accident. I just missed my mouth by a little bit,'' Fleury said. "I don't know, he does it to us. And after the first two games, I thought I'll give him a little something back.''

-- Here is McGuire's take on tonight's game: "We're going to a Game 7. The Penguins have all the momentum, the crowd's going to be nuts and I can't see them not coming up with anything but their best effort of the final."